Fournier on IRS: I Was 'Naive' to Give WH Benefit of the Doubt

In a discussion panel on CNN’s “New Day” on Tuesday, National Journal’s Ron Fournier stated “I now realize how naive I was to give the administration the benefit of the doubt” as he called for an independent prosecutor to handle the scandal over the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups.

He also characterized the testimony of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen as, “I’m innocent, but if you have evidence that I’m not I’d like to see it,” and stated this was “not a good position for a public figure to be in.”

AP’s Julie Pace added that the Obama administration’s line of defense on the IRS scandal was “a bit strange.” She declared “I think to most Americans they look at this and say not only does this e-mail issue seem really strange but it also seems like the IRS isn’t being very apologetic,” adding “the tone seems a little bit off if these are e-mails that simply disappeared. You might imagine that someone said, ‘hey, we’re really sorry.’”